Lose it to Find It

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.
Mt.16:24,25

After predicting his own death, Jesus describes the cost of following him, dieing to self... He also states the benefit... finding life.

This cross Jesus talks about isn't something forced on me from the outside, like a sickness or a calamity of some sort. It's something I "take up", something I choose. The cross is an instrument of death, so taking it up means choosing to die to something, choosing to die to sin, die to self.

This is the hard part of following Jesus. Self wants to be alive and first, not dead and last. But then there is Jesus' promise... lose your life and you will find life. OK... here goes. Today I choose to put "me" to death. What does that leave? Others and Jesus.

Jesus, you have set the narrow path, the selfless path before me this morning. I reach out for your hand to help me along the way.
Little Flower, please pray for me.